Lord Roberts Stein - 1900

Absolutely the finest and largest commemorative pitcher - bar none - ever made anywhere, to celebrate Lord Roberts of Kandahar, is this fabulously huge drinking mug. And it's Canadian at that, issued in Brantford, Ontario to celebrate the British Commander during the Boer War in South Africa. Brantford lost three of its native sons in the Boer War.

It's a huge 31 cms tall and finished like a German beer drinking stein. (From the German steinkrug or stoneware jug.)

Another unique characteristic is that all its images, lettering, and decorations are bas relief, and stand out strongly from the surface of the jug. Each stein was then also individually hand painted; this is not transfer ware, where coloured images are printed on to the surface.

The pitcher was made for TJ Fair & Co. Ltd. of Brantford, Ontario, which was a cigar manufacturing company in the late 19th century. Many have hawked this stein as a "Brantford jug," alleging that it was made in a Brantford pottery, probably because the base is inscribed "TJ Fair & Co. Ltd, Brantford, Ont, Sole Manufacturers."

But the base is inscribed Germany. So probably the green ware was made in Germany and then hand painted in Brantford and refired there.

Decorated with prominent maple leaf and beaver it shouts Canada; equally prominent is the loud and proud claim that Lord Roberts is "Our Famous Leader."

Bad News for General Rick Hillier
Commanding Canadian Troops
in Afghanistan...

General Rick Hillier, Canadian Chief of Defence Staff, looking sour after a journalist asked him how he feels - now that it's becoming obvious - that he will become the first Canadian general in history, to ever lose a war...

"Don't worry," replied the sly general, "I have a a face-saving exit strategy that will transform us from a Taliban fighting army, that has to win a war, to an Afghan training army, that can leave anytime the contract is up! Clever, huh?"

Canadians were more enamoured of the British general than any of their own - before or since - and bought, in his honour, a wild assortment of memorabilia, which one can still find all over the country, a century after his passing. It's easy to see why; Canadians prefer a general with Class not Crass.

Lord Roberts had that in spades. In fact, he was more popular - if that were possible - with civilians than even with his own troops, who considered "Bobs" the best of all time.

Name a Canadian general whose plates and busts Canadian civilians would want to display today, let alone a hundred years from now? Name a Canadian general with an affectionate nickname like Bobs was given; and "Killer" is not acceptable...

We found one glowing recommendation, but had to go to the US to find it::

"Until today, I hadn't yet heard about Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier. O Canada! This guy is the real deal—a blunt, unapologetic, rootin-tootin' Islamothug shootin' soldier. Apparently the general's unvarnished views on war, freedom, and the mujahideen, along with his forthright manner in sharing them, have upset some in Canadian leftocrat quarters. Good."